Day 23 - Canyon de Chelly

Last night (Thursday) we left our motel and went across the road to the bar at the Best Western - it was a good night, we had crabcakes and a few drinks, the place was very lively and there was a karaoke on, some good singers too. We also took part in the tv quiz in the bar, didn't do too badly but were snookered when it came to questions about US tv programmes and personalities. We eventuallyleft at kicking out time!
We left Farmington Friday morning after a quiet breakfast (both with sore heads I think) and headed South on the 666 according to our map (this road has a different number now), and then West to Canyon de Chelly. Photo 1 shows ancient (somewhat reconstructed) pueblo dwellings (Mummy Cave Ruins). The video shows Spider Rock Overlook. What you can't see is the campsite near the base of the stack, even we couldn't see the people until Clive looked through his camera zoom. Ended up in Gallup for the night, away from the railway but still within hearing of the all-night whistles!

Day 22 - Goosenecks, Mittens, and Corners

Started the day with a car wash and then got under way. Headed SW from Blanding and visited Goosenecks State Park (see photo 1 and video) - 1,000ft. deep chasm eroded by the San Juan River, big meanders(www.utah.com/stateparks.goosenecks.htm). We then proceeded into Arizona and Monument Valley, see photo 2 'The Mittens'. Didn't do the scenic drive here - very dusty. We then made our way East along very long, very straight roads, making a small detour to the Four State Corners Monument - Clive obliged and put his limbs in all four states at once, see photo 3. It's almost obligatory! We carried on into New Mexico and are staying overnight at Farmington, where Clive is hoping that he can get a beer (in Utah and the Navajo Nation it wasn't easy).

Day 21 - Capitol Reef and more

After leaving Torrey we spent a lot of time in Capitol Reef NP. The scenery in this area is really striking. We took the scenic drive and took a hike along Capitol Gorge Rd., this gravel road is very narrow (photo 1) and prone to flash floods. In spite of that it was the only means of access to Fruita township until the highway was built in 1962. A trail up the side of the gorge took us to the Tanks (photo 2) which are natural bowls which collect water.
We carried on through ever-changing dramatic scenery until we reached Hanksville - which really is in the middle of nowhere. We took a snack break here.
Carried on to the head of Lake Powell (photo 3), and later called in at Natural Bridges NP. Photo 4 is one of the bridges- Sipapu Bridge. When we get back home we will be asking questions on the difference between Natural Bridges and Natural Arches :-)
We eventually finished up at Blanding for the night.

Day 20 - Bryce and more

We set off East today and our first stop was at Cedar Breaks National Monument (see photo 1), a dramatic canyon overlook of red rock, quite impressive. We then continued East to Bryce Canyon National Park where we took the shuttle bus around the site, stopping off at the Visitor Center to see a brief film about the park and its history. We also stopped off at the canyon overlook shown in photo 2. There were people hiking down into the canyon - younger and fitter than we are : it was hot, there was no shade and the only way back up is to walk. We returned on the shuttle to the pick up point at Rubys Inn and looked round a rock shop before going on our way again. Continued along the very scenic route (Route 12) to Torrey, on the way driving along hogback ridge (photo 3), dramatic drop-offs on either side. Along this road there was also a good photo op. on top of Boulder Mountain(photo 4) for expansive views of the country all around - including our first very distant view of Navajo Mountain. (The photo cannot really do it justice.) Fortunately we had booked our motel ahead (first time this holiday) on the internet this morning - it was full by the time we arrived, the clerk was trying to arrange local accommodation for some walk-ins with not a lot of success. As we are not going to be near any interstates soon, where we can always find accommodation, we have now booked in for tomorrow night at Blanding in advance.

Day 19 Zion NP

We decided not to go to Green River today, instead we took a roundabout trip to Zion National Park. The first photo shows our first port of call - we just had to as it was West of Cedar City where we were staying. Bought coffee for our in-car mugs here at a petrol station, and went on our way South. Next stop was at the Mountain Meadows Massacre Site: in 1857 Mormons massacred, "for reasons that are still unclear" according to Lonely Planet, 120 non-Mormon pioneers (men, women and children) from Arkansas who were making their way to California, (see www.mountainmeadowsmassacre.com for more info.). Photo 2 shows the monument at a burial ground.
We continued South to St. George and then West to Zion National Park. Photo 3 shows Clive (rhside) at 'The Narrows' at the far end of Zion Canyon. Although we had visited Zion NP in the past, the advent of shuttle buses up and down the canyon has resulted in much less traffic and hassle making the whole experience mor enjoyable. Photo 4 shows a greatly zoomed climber on a rock face we noticed as we were stopped at the tunnel taking us out of the park, waiting for oncoming traffic. A good day, beautiful weather, stunning views; finally we motored back to our motel in Cedar City via a scenic route that took us into and out of Arizona and then back North on the I15.